Last Updated on June 30, 2025 by Matt Staff
The 1970s oil crisis hit everyone with the gravity of an empty-tank warning light. It ended up stalling the post-war promises of endless highways as well as cheap gasoline. Literally overnight, embargo headlines shifted into miles-long gas lines, odd-even rationing schemes, and also handwritten “Out of Fuel” signs that hung from pumps. This collection of vintage photos serves to capture both the tension and ingenuity of that moment in history.
1. A snapshot taken in Holland during the 1973 oil crisis
2. “Four Horsemen” riding through the streets of Amsterdam on a day during the 1970s oil crisis
3. Those gas station lines were brutal during the 1970s oil crisis
4. Folks having a picnic in the middle of the highway during the 1973 oil crisis
5. The 1973 oil crisis out in Baltimore, Maryland
6. The king of Norway taking the tram to go skiing during the 1973 oil crisis
7. Pumping gas during the 1970s oil crisis was a trip, to say the very least
8. A couple of gasoline pumps in Oregon during the 1970s oil crisis
9. A gas station sign from the 1970s oil crisis
10. Those gas stealers better beware, indeed
11. The oil crisis of the ’70s made signs like this all too common
12. Cars line up at a gas station in New York City during the 1970s oil crisis
13. Yet another grim moment captured during the 1973 oil crisis
14. All the chaos of the 1973 oil crisis
15. Filling up the bug during the 1970s oil crisis was a doozy
Explore more vintage content:
The gas crunch may have eased decades ago, but these snapshots are able to transport you to other iconic moments in history through the vintage photos lens. Check out 20 Photos Of Sheriffs From The 20th Century, and then take a gander at 35 Vintage Photos That Totally Sum Up the Swinging Sixties.
